Locking means for lever operated rotary actuating bars of door fasteners



0a. 11, 1949. G E .DA H 2,484,078

LOCKING MEANS FdR LEVER OPERATED ROTARY ACTUATING BARS OF DOOR FASTENERS2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 5, 1947 awe Z.

Oct. 11, 1949. 0. E. DATH 2,484,073

LOCKING MEANS FOR LEVER OPERATED ROTARY I ACTUATING BARS OF DOORFASTENERS Filed July 5, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 11, 1949LOCKING MEANS FOR LEVER OPERATED ROTARY ACTUATING BARS FASTENERS OF DOORGeorge E. Dath, Mokena, 111., assignor to W. H.

Miner, Inc., Chicago, II!., a corporation of Delaware Application July5, 1947, Serial N 0. 759,238

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in door fasteners of the rotarybar type, and more particularly to locking means for holding the baragainst rotation with the doors fastened in closed position.

One object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means forlocking the lever operated bar of a rotary door fastener againstrotation in opening direction after the door has been forced to itsclosed position by rotation of the bar.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door fastener for hingeddoors comprising a rotary operating bar mounted on one of the doors andhaving keeper engaging means thereon engageable with fixed keepers toforce the door open and closed, wherein the bar is rotatable through 180degrees in forcing the door into and out of the door opening and isactuated by a handle lever for rotating the same, the lever beingpivoted to the bar in such a manner that it may be dropped to pendantposition when the door is closed, the lever being provided with alocking projection which is engaged with a fixed plate on the door whenthe lever is dropped to pendant position, thereby preventing rotation ofthe bar in door opening direction and maintaining the door tightlyclosed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism as set forthin the preceding paragraph wherein the locking projection of the leverand the fixed plate have wedging engagement with each other as thehandle lever is swung to pendant position, thereby forcibly turning thebar to its final locking position.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from thedescription and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 is an elevational view of the side wall of a railway car,provided with a door opening and having a pair of hinged doors forclosing said opening, illustrating my improvements in connectiontherewith, the doors being shown in closed position and the operatinghandle .lever being shown in its pendant position in full lines and inthe raised horizontal position in dotted lines. Figure 2 is a horizontalsectional view, corresponding substantially to the line 22 of Figure 1.Figure 3 is a broken view, similar to Figure l, on an enlarged scale, ofportions of the doors at their meeting edges, the central portion of theoperating bar, the operating lever for the bar, and cooperating lockingplate. Figure 4 is a vertical s'ectionalview, correspondingsubstantially to the line 4- -4 of 13igure Figure 5 is a broken verticalsectional view, similar to Figure 4, with the operating bar and leveromitted, illustrating another embodiment of the invention.

In said drawings, l0 indicate the side wall member of a railway car,provided with a door opening H, closed by the usual hinged doors I2 andIt. The doors I2 and 13 are supported along their outer edges by hinges|4-l4 of wellknown design. As will be understood by those skilled inthis art, the hinged doors l2 and I3 are provided with beveled meetingedges, the edge of the door I2, which is the door last closed,overlapping the adjacent door I3.

The door l2 carries a rotary door fastener means of well-known designfor forcing the door closed and also prying the same open, comprising arotary operating bar [5 having keeper engaging crank members I 6l 6 atthe top and bottom ends, cooperating with fixed keepers l1 l 7 0n thecar wall above and below the door opening, the keepers being providedwith the usual cam slots within which the crank members engage. The barI5 is rotatably supported by top, bottom, and intermediate bearingbrackets l8, l9, and 20, fixed to the door l2.

In carrying out my invention, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4inclusive, I provide broadly a combined actuating lever and lockingmember A, which is hinged or pivoted to the operating bar I 5 to bedropped to pendant position, and a looking or wedge plate B with whichthe locking portion of the lever A is engageable to lock the bar againstrotation.

The combined lever and locking member A is of L-shaped form, having abarlike arm 2| provided with an outwardly offset hand grip portion 22 atits outer end, and a right angular portion at its inner end providing alocking finger or lug 23 extending laterally from said arm andprojecting beyond the side of the bar [5 when the lever member A isdropped to its pendant position, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. The memberA is supported on the bar l5 at the outer side thereof,

as seen in Figure 1, by a pivot pin 24 in the form of a rivet extendingthrough the inner end portion of the lever member A and the bar l5, thepin 24 serving to hinge the lever member A for swinging movement in avertical plane.

The locking or wedge plate B is in the form of a casting secured to the.outer side of the door l2 to one side of the bar I 5, the same beingshown as disposed to the right of the bar, as seen in Figures 1 and 3,and in the path of movement of the finger or lug 23 of the combinedlever and looking meme her A. The front surface or face of the plate Bis upwardly inclined away from the plane of the door I2, thus presentinga fiat wedge face 25. At the upper end of the plate is an outstandinghorizontal flange 26, which provides a limiting stoprengageable by thelug 23 for arresting the pivotal movement of the lever member A.

In the closed and locked position of the doors l2 and I3, as shown inFigures 1, 2, 3, and 4, the keeper engaging crank members |6l6 of theoperating bar l are in locking engagement with the keepers l'i-ll, andthe combined actuating lever and locking member A is in the pendantposition shown in full lines iniFigure l, with the locking lug or finger23 in wedging engagement with the plate 13. In the locked position ofthe parts, the bar I5 is effectively blocked "against rotation in dooropening direction, that is, rotation in centraclo-ckwise direction, asviewed in Figure 2. is first swung upwardly to the horizontal dotted"line position shownin Figure 1, thus disengaging the lug 23 from thewedge plate 3. When the combined lever member A is swung to thishorizontalposition, the right angular lug 23 is with- :drawn from itsblocking position by being brought into alignment with the" length ofthe bar 15,

therebypermitting free rotation of the bar. The llevermember A is thenswung from left to right through an-arc of 180 degrees to force the doorpartly "open in the usual well-known manner by 'camming action of thekeeper engaging crank members l'6|i5 and cooperating keepers I'i-ll.

In forcing the door [2 closed, the operation is substantially thereverse .of that just described, the bar being rotated in clockwisedirection, as 'viewed'in Figure 2, by swinging the levermemher A fromright to left, thereby camming the door shut. The operating lever memberis then swung to-its pendant position, bringing the lug '23thereoiinto'wedging engagement with the wedge plate B. As will beevident, this wedging action-between the lever member A andthe plate .3imparts a further slight turning movement to the bar in door closingdirection, thus-forcing the keeper engaging crank members more firmlyagainst the walls of the cam slots of the keepers and tightly lockingthe door.

Referring to the embodiment :of the invention illustrated in Figure -5,the construction is'the same as thatillustrated-in Figures 1 to 4inclusive,

with the exception that the locking :c'am plate,

which is indicated by C and corresponds to the -.-plate B hereinbeforedescribed, is provided with ;;23 of ;the lever ;member .A when thelatter is dropped or swung .to its pendant position with the doorl2;closed.

. I claim:

1. In aifa'stener for a :door, the combination withra verticallyidisposed rotary operating bar .mounted on the outer side of the door;of means actuated hyrotationof said bar in reverse-directions forforcing the door'open and closed; an 'actuatinghandle lever forrotatingsaid bar, said leverbeihi; pivotedat its inner end to said barfor To open the door i2, the member A Y position. 4, In a locking meansfor a vertically disposed rotary'bar of adoor fastener for'aihingedidoor, wherein the bar is mounted on't'h'e door, thecombination with an actuating "handle lever'pivot- "ally connected atits inner end to the operating bar for swin ng'movem'ent in a verticalplane,

4 swinging movement in a vertical plane, from horizontal position atright angles to said bar to pendant vertical position; a right angulararm on said lever extending radially from the pivot of said lever, saidarm being rigid with the lever, said arm being aligned lengthwise withthe bar when the lever i'sin horizontal positionand being swingable withsaid lever outwardly at right angles to said bar when the lever isdropped to pendant position; and a locking plate fixed to :sa'idouterside .of-the door, said plate being in the pathofmovement of said armwhen said lever is in pendant position for arresting movement of saidarm toil'o ck'th'e bar against rotation.

"2."lin a fastener for a door, the combination with a verticallydisposed, rotary operating bar, mountedon the outer side of the door; ofmeans actuatedby rotation of said bar in reverse directions for forcingthe door open and closed; an actuating handle lever for rotating saidbar, said "lever being pivoted at its inner end to said bar for swingingmovement in avertical plane, *from horizontal position at right anglesto said bar to p'endant vertical position; "anarm extending from thepivoted end of said lever, said arm being'r-igid with the lever, saidarm being aligned lengthwise with the barwhen-the-leverisin-horizontal-position and-being swingable 'w-ithsaidlever outwardiy at right angles to said bar when the lever-is dropped topendant position; 'and'a locking wedge plate fixed t'o theouter side ofsaid doon'said arm of said lever and said plate having'wedgingengagement with each other as the-lever-isdropped topendantposition to turnsa'id b'ar indoor closingdirect-ion and hold the sameagainst rotation in door openingdirection.

- 3. In a iastenerfior a hinged door, thecombination with a verticallydisposed rotary "operating 'bar mounted on the door; of means actuatedby rotation of said "bar in reverse directions *for forcing said doorinto and outoi the door opening; an L-shaped actuating-leverforrotating-said bar, said lever having a long and a short arm,

said lever being pivoted to the bar forswinging movement in a vertical'plane,-'said long arm of the lever being swingableirom horizontal"position at right angles to said bar to pend-ant'ver tical posit-ion,said" short arm b'e'ing vertical alignment with said bar'when saidlongarm "is in horizontal position, and being swingable to proj ectinghorizontal position -byswinging movement of said lever to pendantposition; and 'a wedge plate on "said door 'engage'able -by said shortarm when swung to horizontal position to force said door tightly closedand lock the same in closed said lever being movable from horizontal'topenoturn the bar ;to force said door tightly closed and lock the "samein closed position.

5. In a locking meansfor avertically disposed rotary bar of a doorfastener for a hinged door,

whereint'he 'bariis mounted onfth'e door, thecom- 'bination withanactuating'handle'leverpivotally connected a't-its innerendto the barto be dropped to pendant "position; a fixed. wedge plate on "the door;and a projecting lug on said lever engageable with said wedge plate tolock the bar against rotation in door opening direction when said leveris moved to pendant position.

6. In a locking means for a vertically disposed rotary bar of a doorfastener for a hinged door, wherein the bar is mounted on the door, thecombination with an actuating handle lever pivotally connected at itsinner end to the bar to be dropped from horizontal to vertical pendantposition; of a fixed wedge plate on the door having an overhangingretaining lip thereon; and a projecting lug on said lever engageablewith said REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in thefile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,917,159 Schaaf July 4, 19332,280,232 Haseltine Apr. 21, 1942

